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Corbina (Ship)
Description These strange-looking craft are solely constructed by the spacefaring aarakocra. It's radical design and strange appearance make it seem slow and unwieldy. While not as maneuverable as many ships in its size class, the Corbina is in fact well-designed for fast flight, and gains a +1 bonus to the SR of the helmsman. The primary reason for the odd configuration of the Corbina is that it was actually designed for flight within a planetary atmosphere as much as for flight in space. Unlike other spelljammer ships, the Corbina does not suffer a reduction in maneuverability when flying in an atmosphere, and when forced by high winds to make a save in order to avoid damage, the Corbina saves with a +5 bonus. The Corbina achieves this atmospheric performance by always maintaining velocity, and by providing lift surfaces which winds can flow past. One side effect of this is that the Corbina cannot rise vertically into the air, and requires 300' of flat surface in order to gain enough speed to lift off the ground, or conversely to lose enough speed to come to a stop on the ground. A grassy field is ideal for this. The helmsman of the Corbina controls the pitch of the frontal and rear wings which, in turn, control the craft's lift and dive capabilities. The vessel's tail (the vertical rudder) controls the craft's ability to turn. While this configuration works well for atmospheric flight, it does limit the craft such that the best MC it can ever gain, even with the most highly magical equipment, is MC B. The ship cannot be armour plated, since the wings will not support the added weight. Crew Corbinas used as long-range scouts will typically have a crew of 3 aarakocra, all of whom will be shamans, and therefore capable of manning the helm. These aarakocra are missionaries, on a holy mission to form ties between aarakocra communities. In such an arrangement the crew typically makes decisions jointly, however in combat situations whomever is currently manning the helm is considered to be in charge, and the helmsman's orders will be followed without question. Corbinas used as planetary scouts and landers by Eagle Ships will have whatever crew and passengers are assigned to it at any given time, and depending on the mission may carry as many as 15 aarakocra. Ship Uses Long-Range Scout: The primary mission of space-borne aarakocra is to make contact with far-flung enclaves of aarakocra. To serve this goal, many Corbinas operate with small crews as long-range scouts. These ships search for likely worlds, and then fly around the atmosphere searching for their brethren. Since the Corbina is fairly small and cramped, it becomes uncomfortable on long voyages, meaning that only the most dedicated of missionaries will use it in this fashion. Corbinas used as long-range scouts will never use a boat helm, since they do not carry enough helmsmen to keep a boat helm operating 24 hours a day. Planetary Scout/Lander: Almost all aarakocra Eagle Ships carry a Corbina (in some cases more than one is carried). When the Eagle Ship discovers a world which it wishes to investigate, the Eagle Ship stays in orbit, while the Corbina is sent to explore with a scouting party. Corbinas used in this manner are typically powered by boat helms, since they will usually only be powered for a few hours at a time. In emergencies, a Corbina carried by an Eagle Ship will be used as a fighter, but this is usually an act of desperation. Other Configurations Tri Corbina: The only common modification to the Corbina is the Tri Corbina, which is topped-out by the addition of a third wing. This increases maneuverability to MC C, but raises the minimum crew requirement to 2. This makes it an unpopular modification for long-range scouts, since having more than one crewman on duty at a time quickly tires out the small crew. Many Corbinas carried by Eagle Ships are Tri Corbinas, however, since their short-range mission profile eliminates the problem of crew fatigue.